Cycling over 600 miles in six days, bicyclists advocate for dignity of human life
Story and photography by Benjamin Wideman | For On Mission
GREEN BAY — Tim Minor wanted to ride his bicycle more while also putting his Catholic faith into action. Biking for Babies provided a perfect opportunity to do both.
Minor enthusiastically signed up earlier this year for Biking for Babies’ annual National Ride — despite having not pedaled his bicycle much in recent years.
“I went from almost no cycling at all earlier in the winter to then biking 100 miles a day in the spring just a few weeks later,” Minor said.
The resident of Lubbock, Texas, was among eight missionaries — six bicyclists and two support team members — who devoted six consecutive days from July 14-19 traversing 600-plus miles on the Green Bay-to-St. Louis route as part of the organization’s National Ride event.
Missionaries on that route included bicyclists Oscar Carlos (team leader), Morgan Green, Aaron Rapp, Henry Ware, Brendan Wischhoff and Minor, along with support crew members Nancy Simpson and Gabe Ware. Their physical and spiritual training officially began in March.
Those young adults, transformed in virtue and growing in Jesus Christ, rode as a public witness to the dignity of human life, advocating for women and families facing unplanned pregnancies, and raising awareness and funds for pregnancy resource centers.
“This mission excites me not merely because of the feat of the ride itself but because this is an opportunity for me to employ my faith and efforts to serve as a grace to others in this world within a community that shares an esteem for human life,” Minor said. “In Biking for Babies, I join myself to a higher effort to renew and propagate the culture of life where we all respect the dignity of human life, especially vulnerable, unborn life.”
Overall, more than 80 missionaries aged 18-39 participated in this year’s National Ride, with six routes converging in St. Louis and three routes meeting in Philadelphia. Each city then hosted a Celebration of Life event as the missionaries arrived.
Green, a Madison resident, was excited to participate in her first National Ride, which was also her first bicycle-only event.
In recent years, she completed four triathlons — including two full triathlons that required a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run.
“Doing triathlons helps me know I can do the longer biking distances required for (the National Ride),” said Green, noting the first day’s ride spanned more than 140 miles. The missionaries hit the road shortly after 4 a.m. that day.
In preparation for the National Ride, Green “spent a lot of time on the bike, getting my body used to being on the bike,” she said. “Doing 30 miles a day, four to five days a week, with a long ride on weekends. Getting in the gym to keep muscles strong. Making sure I practiced nutritious eating while on the bike.”
There is more than just a physical component for Green and her fellow missionaries.
“Because 2025 is a jubilee year in the Catholic Church and (the Jubilee) Year of Hope, I thought, ‘How can I draw closer to God?’” she said. “I knew God was taking me to do something like endurance sports and celebrate for the greater good.”
“I like the pro-life aspect of this ride,” she said. “I think we can always say we’re being pro-life, but we need to find a way to support it. This way we are able to bike and raise funds, and we are able to strengthen that community and keep growing.”
Biking for Babies has grown exponentially since its inception in 2009 with two bicyclists, Jimmy Becker and Mike Schaefer.
Nikki Biese, a resident of Combined Locks and a parishioner of Holy Cross Parish in Kaukauna, met Becker in 2010 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the following year she signed up her then-boyfriend (now husband) Kevin Biese to participate in the ride.
Two years later, she joined the event as a support crew member and eventually became the executive director of Biking for Babies in 2018.
The year before Biese’s arrival as executive director, Biking for Babies raised $82,000 and had 27 missionaries. Last year’s event raised $415,000 for 95 pregnancy centers and maternity homes.
“Our world needs both riders and support crews and also people to donate,” Biese said. “We need to be out there visibly. There are a lot of misconceptions about the beauty and gift of life, and we want to change those misconceptions. For people to realize, ‘My life is a gift,’ we have to realize our own belovedness. We need to be those pro-life examples out in the world.
“As a leader of this mission, I really encourage people to donate to us and pray for our missionaries and be inspired to go and support what’s happening in our community,” she said.
Biese noted that the National Ride routes stop at numerous locations, including pregnancy centers, host-family residences and churches.
Kristin Sorensen, resident of De Pere and a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, couldn’t wait to participate in her third National Ride this summer, after having previously served as a support crew missionary on the Green Bay-to-St. Louis route in 2023 and 2024.
This year she accepted the role of lead support crew member on the Columbus, Ohio-to-Philadelphia route.
“What I love about Biking for Babies is the focus on family as a whole,” said Sorensen, the lay leader formation coordinator for the Diocese of Green Bay. “Not just the kids but also moms who are struggling and fathers who are part of family units and other family members, too. It really emphasizes, ‘Let’s take care of so many aspects of being family and support people in tough situations.’”
As a support crew member, Sorensen assists bicyclists in various ways along the route, while also praying for children, mothers, fathers and others.
Each route utilizes a method called leapfrogging, in which the support crew members drive a few miles ahead of the bicyclists and wait for them to come past.
“As they pass us, we’re cheering them on, filling and handing out water bottles, giving them treats and snacks, helping if they get a flat tire, whatever they need from us,” said Sorensen, noting her role blends well with her personality of being highly organized. “And once they pass us, we go three miles ahead and do that again, and it goes back and forth like that the whole way.
“We also are busy calling ahead to host families, giving them updates,” she said. “We’re talking with people hosting events at parishes and pregnancy resource centers – letting them know where we’re at and if we need other materials. We’re also watching the weather. The riders are focused on putting in the miles, and we’re focused on everything else.”
Sorensen encourages people to sign up for future National Ride events as missionaries or financial donors.
“It’s 100 percent worth it,” she said. “It’s not only a fun trip; the goal of Biking for Babies is to transform the culture of life in this country. We’re missionaries for a period of time, but we want to be pro-life people for the rest of our lives.”
For more information about Biking for Babies, visit www.bikingforbabies.com.